Category: Food

Kitchen circa 1930's

Brodie learns about food rationing

Published on by Lucas Pam8 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving soon and we are all consumed with the associated thoughts of feasting, family and friendship.  How fortunate I feel.  My peeps will have one familial event recorded on their many cell phones, iPads, 35mm cameras and Skype. Then they’ll post the stuff on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.  The social aspects roll on.  That’s todays fun and entertainment.

I want to take you back to two periods in our USA history…a time when we were at war, WWI and WWII.  I bring this up because during those difficult years we as a nation buckled down.  Food was scarce.  Food went first to the troops.  People bought limited amounts of certain commodities through rationing…ration stamps. So my golden mind took me to those times, thinking about what Thanksgiving was all about then…

Rationing came into place by our government and families were strongly encouraged to eat simply…meatless meals…and forget about sugar.  What a prized commodity sugar became…and coffee…and flour…yes the very basics.  I’m thinking everyone worked together, helped out and got involved in the war effort…while missing their stuff.

I feel golden sure that on Thanksgiving Day folks were even more grateful for whatever they had as they struggled.  But then…the food was secondary for those who had loved ones serving in the war…those who had lost a loved one…and those who simply felt the unrest of not knowing what the future held.

Our country held together and came out on this side of freedom both times.  This Thanksgiving season I’m going to say a special thanks to those serving our nation and especially to those away from home …and a special moment for those who we have lost…we will remain forever a grateful nation.

So this Thanksgiving, my grateful heart will enjoy watching all of the cell phone action, getting my many pets and walks and giving out my goldeness.   Peace baby and paws Up!

P.S.  Dogs don’t do coffee but…How fortunate that you can have as many Starbuck’s with all of the sugar possible…all of the cream…whenever…

 

Brodie is cute as a pumpkin and talks about how dogs benefit from eating pumpkin

Brodie licks pumpkin and dreams of turducken

Published on by Lucas Pam7 Comments

We’re getting ready for Thanksgiving. The peeps are talking who’s making what…what’s the final head count?…who ordered the Turducken?!…the what??? yeah, that’s a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, further stuffed into a deboned turkey…did you get that?  Now I must admit my dog lips would love to grab some of that…no such luck…I don’t get people food…but then I do.

Thanksgiving time always means I get some celebration in my dish…like canned pumpkin mixed lightly in my evening meal. The pilgrims and Native Americans liked pumpkin and so do I.  Funny part is that throughout the year if my dog insides start having problems, I get served some canned pumpkin to get me regular and settled…but Thanksgiving reaps the bounty of the pumpkin just because I get something special and it’s really good for me.  Now, while I really appreciate the canned pumpkin and it’s nutritional rewards…I do wish for and would give thanks for some of that three-layered foul thing landing in my bowl.

Giving thanks and feeling grateful.

 

 

 

Brodie served “Up” food and the White House Kitchen

Published on by Lucas Pam3 Comments

I have a new dog diet…it’s golden exciting when something from a can hits my dish…yeah something soft…something that resembles meat…a lick the bowl clean commodity…something that smells like pate instead of just the lonely pebble like kibbles that bounce into my bowl each morning and evening.  Don’t get me wrong…I am grateful and I gobble whatever lands in my bowl…but this stuff is something I could not have dreamt up.  HeHe says he thinks he could eat is on cracker!  Seriously!?!

Now that we’re on food…this article 11 Things Only White House Employees Know...gives insight to the transition of the sitting president leaving the White House and the incoming president-elect moving in…even talks about the transition of food.  That was my favorite section.

I share this gastronomic epiphany with you to enlighten you peeps…yes dogs like “up” cuisine and Hail to the Chief’s food.  Paws Up!

New dog food introduced:

Can of Fromm Gold dog food, Salmon & Chicken Pate
Can of Fromm Gold dog food, Salmon & Chicken Pate
Golden Brodie talks about favorite foods of the presidential candidates 2016

Brodie slurps up the “debate buffet”

Published on by Lucas Pam7 Comments

We’re getting all ready for the first presidential debate between The Lady and Mr. T. with Lester Holt as the designated driver. We’ll be in front of our large screen with surround sound…flicking back & forth between baseball, football & the political parley.  We’re planning a menu fitting this national face-off.

I requested red and blue balloons for ambiance… but… sadly that won’t be happening.  Then I asked for servings of hot dogs…just seems fitting…but once again I was denied my wish.  Then I suggested we have black-eyed peas and collard greens…you know…for good luck and lots of money?!?!…I was told that only happens on New Year’s Day…my bad.

Eggs are a favorite food of Hillary Clinton
A favorite food of The Lady
Fast food is a favorite of Mr. Trump
Fast food is a favorite of Mr. T

So, we’re having scrambled eggs…The Lady says she can’t cook…but she makes a mean mess of eggs and McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Combos and perhaps some Burger King cheeseburgers with fries…Mr. T chows on that stuff…even has it brought onto his private plane.  Both representative foods sound like a winner to my golden palate…but then I’ll swallow just about anything…including carelessly tossed chicken bones covered with ants found along the sidewalk.

Flaps up…Let the games begin.

 

Farmers Market bounty of ripe red bell peppers and tomatoes

Red bounty

Published on by Lucas Pam2 Comments

Farmers red bounty

Enjoy the bursting gardens

Momentary joy

Haiku poem by PamelaWLucas 8/28/16

Photo by PamelaWLucas 8/28/16

Golden Brodie Dogs it to Philadelphia for Ice Cream

Published on by Lucas Pam9 Comments

Well, welcome one and all to the great city of Philadelphia, PA…to the home of the Hoagie, the Pork and the Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches…you name it sandwiches!…  These folks in the City of Brotherly Love, the 5th largest populous city in the USA is packed with D Party members, voters sitting on the fence, Super-delegates (some possibly in disguises), and the Bern people who came with support for the lady and some of the Bern people who are prepared to be an irritant to the Lady and to her newly announced running mate, Mr. K.  Those two folks are definitely going to have sand in their pants and perhaps all of the sandwich eaters gathered in the Wells Fargo Center will catch this…and sandy pants my friends is not only uncomfortable, but if sand is left tooooo long, an ugly rash could surely appear raising its ugly head…band-aids please.  But what does that have to do with ice cream?

There were whispers and little rumblings that Ben Cohen, yes the Ben of Ben & Jerry’s…yes the Vermont ice cream guy is attending the D convention.  That my friends is why I dogged it to “The Keystone State”.

See… B&J in the past have created a special designer ice cream for people that they admire and/or wanted to celebrate.  There was the “Cherry Garcia” created for Jerry Garcia”; “Whirled Peace” created for John Lennon; and “Yes, Pecan,”to celebrate the inaugural of the 44th President of the United States.

So, I’m on a mission to find Ben and lick his ears and give him the golden retriever lean and persuade him to make an ice cream that honors all dogs.

There is not one person who has mentioned dogs in these political speeches…and I have been listening. So, my hope is that Ben will decide to make “Peach Paws Swirl”.  Luscious, and made to honor all dogs in this world…all dogs that have no vote…all dogs that rely on humans…all dogs that suffer needlessly…and all dogs that have great lives and lastly all dogs that jumped the Rainbow Bridge.  If Ben decides to take up my golden idea…then next comes “Purrrfect”, vanilla, with tiny bits of chocolate shaped like fish.  I adore cats.  Where are you Ben?

 

Golden Brodie…Roll call for “The Boy”

Published on by Lucas Pam5 Comments

It’s in Cleveland…the GOP is arriving and filling up the “Q”. Some of the folks have come knowing they will change their minds…change their vote when the roll is called..Ha!..what roll call?!!.There will possibly be unbinding that will happen on the floor and I don’t know, but that could be rather unattractive, you know possibly turn some people off…that unbinding thing sounds like something that should only happen behind closed doors…maybe in the sanction of one’s bathroom??…but sounds like there will be  a “floor fight”.  Is that like when leashes get tangled and then it can get ugly…if it is then based on experience, I don’t recommend this…very messy… very dramatic…

Speaking of folks, interesting who’ll show… some “big cheese people”, some “Stop T screamers”,some “steamrollers”, a dame who slams golf balls and a dude in briefs…a whole lot of “T” and just a wee bit of “P”.  And forget the roll call, the “Yeas, have it”..

Let’s get to the important stuff…Cleveland is known for its “City Chicken” and “The Polish Boy”.  Now the City Chicken is really chunks of pork on a skewer with different stuff lathered on it.  The Polish Boy is a kielbasa polish sausage on a bun with a layer of french fries, barbecue sauce and a tangy coleslaw.  Sign me up!  That boy gets my vote!

Fresh Basil Selfie

Published on by Lucas Pam8 Comments

Here comes the fresh and juicy, juicy tomatoes off the local vines.  Here comes the fresh strawberries hand-picked from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  And here comes the abundance of fresh sweet basil from my garden.  Seeing the shiny, glossy green leaves of this special herb is a summer delight.  Touch or rub the leaves and its aromatics lace the air with a spicy and distinguished fragrance.  So, let the foodies challenge begin!  We adore this herb. My summer plates evolve around the inclusion of basil.  And by first frost (Zone 7), fresh basil plants and their bounty will be a fleeting memory and sorely missed.  So, while basil is here, it’s king. (The name Basil comes from the Greek word “Basileus” meaning King or people’s leader).

Here are some simple suggestions for the aforementioned.  You don’t need a recipe, just snip the leaves, cut up the tomatoes, slice the strawberries and make mouth-watering  crowd pleasing and nutritional dishes.  Warning… fresh basil is intoxicating, garden-fresh tomatoes… addictive and fresh strawberries…well there are never enough.

Ugly Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar and French Baguette
Ugly tomato, fresh basil, mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cracked pepper (Caprese) and a French baguette
Prepared platter of fresh tomatoes with fresh Basil, Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar & French Baguette
Voila! It’s all in the presentation and in this case it’s also in the eating.
Ingredients for a strawberry & baby spinach salad
Fresh strawberries, locally grown baby spinach, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint garnish
Strawberry, spinach salad
Ta-da, ingredients assembled & layered for the freshest of fresh strawberry and tender baby spinach salad. In the background is an arrangement from my garden of sweet basil and rosemary.

Maintaining fresh-cut herbs:  Suggest trimming the sprigs in the AM before the heat of the day arrives.  Then immediately rinse under cold water, shake off excess and place the bunch of cut herbs in a container of water.  Place container in a cool place away from sunny windows.  Your bouquet will stay fresh and last a remarkable amount of time, while also bringing in the aromatics of the plant to your kitchen.

 

Spikes & Spears

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Asparagus green

Spikes and spears from noble crown

Straight, narrow, plate it!

goldenbrodie Haiku 6/20/16

What’s Your Daddy Food ?

Published on by Lucas Pam8 Comments

 

My Dad during WWII in his Uniform of the Day.

When I saw my father take out the black cast-iron skillet, I knew that a favorite of mine was going to hit the table within 30 minutes.  This morning food magic happened while the coffee pot was percolating cheap java with chicory and the cooked bacon sat waiting. Lard, white flour, salt & pepper, milk, in that order would be turned into white gravy.  There was no recipe or cookbook.  Skillet hit one of the four burners.  First, a scoop of lard out of the lard-jar melted in the heated pan.  Then the flour.  His hands moved with purpose and confidence.  His large, dented, stainless steel spoon with a wooden handle was part of his system.  He’d stir the stuff using a smooth circular motion, blending and blending the grease with the flour until he saw the right consistency.  Next, milk was slowly added while the stirring continued.  Both of his hands were in action.  Stirring with patience and watching for the right moment, he’d add the salt and pepper.  And voila, there was the white gravy.

We’d eat it on white bread and beg for more.  If we were really lucky, the gravy topped some of his homemade biscuits to complete this Virginia country beginning for the day.   Chipped beef-gravy, red-eye gravy and sausage gravy made by him were also favorites.

Dang, I would love to have some of Daddy’s white gravy, but even more than that, I’d give anything for kitchen time with him and watch the magic he made for us.

What’s your Daddy food?  Would enjoy you sharing about your Daddy Food as we approach Father’s Day.